Consistent with our pledge NOT to let the passage of the Public Holidays (Amendment) Bill, 2018 end the debate on the true recount of Ghana’s founding history we hope to expose the emptiness of a celebration the Government is foisting on Ghanaians without merit or grounding whatsoever.
From the earliest recorded introduction of holidays legislation in 1899, May 20 to this day, the only holiday which cannot be directly or remotely connected to the reason for its declaration or forced observance is August 4 as Founders’ Day instead of September 21 as Founder’s Day.
Ghana as we have today was knitted into a Unitary State with a Unicameral Parliament from four separate territories through two legislative instruments in the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly and the United Kingdom House of Commons on August 3, 1956 and February 7, 1957 respectively, consolidated in the Ghana Independence Act, 1957.
The man at the forefront of these key instruments was the indefatigable, sagacious Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in whose honour the earliest Ghanaian currency bore the inscription: KWAME NKRUMAH. CIVITATIS GHANEENSIS CONDITUR; meaning, Kwame Nkrumah, Founder of the nation Ghana.
Indeed appropriately so on March 22, 1958 Ghana’s first independent Parliament passed into being the Public and Bank Holidays Act, 1958 (No.1 of 1958) among others the Founder’s Day (September 21). On such occasions all other contributors such as Nana Kwamina Ansah of Elmina (1471), Anton Wilhem Amo (PhD, 1703 – 1759), Jacobus Elisa Johannes Capitein (PhD, 1717 – 1747), King Aggrey, King Ghartey, George Paa Grant, Dr. Joseph Boakye Danquah, Imoru Egala, Simon Diedong Dombo, Sgt. Adjetey, Cpl. Attipoe and Pte. Odartey Lamptey, Issa Kanjaga, Nii Kwabena Bonne etc. etc. are celebrated as well. Ubi maior, minor cessat is the principle in application of September 21.
While exposing the governments’ ill-faith in this futile crusade to alter settled history it is imperative to expose the hypocrisy and double standards of the National Democratic Congress who are a part of the passage of this deceptive August 4 Founders’ Day.
For sixteen (16) years while cumulatively in power with the parent PNDC history of 11 years, as well as deliberately ignoring the umpteenth promptings from the Kwame Nkrumah Centenary Celebration Committee, they did nothing about legislating back into law September 21 as Founder’s except to conveniently use executive instruments for a purpose which could not stand regime change.
Even worse was their conspicuously loud silence when memoranda were invited by the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament on the bill. NDC is NOT innocent of the sins of this regime. They are a party to the Parliamentary process which they could have stopped if they meant business.
The CPP wishes to reiterate as contained in the December 18, 2018 memorandum to Parliament that generations would come to learn from the surfeit archival records of the dangerous show of abuse of power by an incumbent that assumed they could elevate their defeated forebears beyond what and who they really were in the earliest contests of the nation’s politics.
The high numbers of the President’s party Members of Parliament may have allowed them an easy passage of the bill but they would not have an easy celebration outside Parliament. This debate would be fought in our homes, farms, schools and workplaces. No disingenuous tinkering of the settled history of Ghana would be left unquestioned.
False historical claims must fall! Long live the undying spirit of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah! LONG LIVE! Aluta Continua! Victoria Ascerta!
James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr
Acting General Secretary.
024 453 5472
